One of the big gaming announcements of GDC 2019 was Google Stadia. On Gematsu.com, they explain that Google unveiled its game streaming platform, which would allow people to stream a game from any device, whether that be a mobile phone, laptop, tablet, or TV. You would also be able to enter a game just by clicking a link.
Not long after this, iPhone maker Apple announced the Apple Arcade. This subscription service would play host to new and exclusive premium mobile games from some of the best-known creators. You’d have access to more than 100 games, all ad-free. Apple Arcade and Google Stadia aren’t launching until later this year, and that means that Apple and Google have time to create features to give their platforms the best shot at success.
Reasonable Pricing
Known to many as the developer behind the hit battle royale game Fortnite, in 2018 Epic Games launched the Epic Games Store. The store is a real competitor to Steam. Epic Games’ new digital storefront features a curated list of games, hand-picked by Epic. It also offers a better revenue split to developers.
One of the biggest reasons that gamers have been using the Epic Games Store, however, is its pricing. As developers don’t have to offset the larger revenue cut taken by platforms like Steam, they can make their games more affordable. The Epic Games Store also offers free games every two weeks.
For Apple and Google, Arcade and Stadia are huge ventures, and the infrastructure behind them won’t come cheap. However, gamers are price-savvy people and know where to go for the best deals and offers. With so many other subscription services and game platforms to pay for, the newly announced services can’t be extremely expensive if they are to win subscribers.
A Great Variety of Games
Google Stadia and Apple Arcade will need to offer tons of games to compete with other gaming platforms. Gamers love variety, and to get a wide range of players to subscribe, they will need to cater to a variety of tastes. In this respect, Google and Apple can look redbet.com for some ideas. redbet is an online gambling platform that features slot games, casino games (like blackjack and roulette), and live casino games (casino games with a real dealer). It also offers sports betting, so you can put a bet down on a match and go and play a game or two (or three) while you wait for the scores to come in.
Redbet has found success because of the thousands of gambling games it has on offer. It means that players will spend longer on the site enjoying their content. It has also earned a reputation for having the best and newest titles. In a fast-moving world like gaming, that’s a difficult reputation to build up. However, Google and Apple have the brand power to put together deals with leading game developers and bring the best games to their platforms too.
Transparency With Games
Google and Apple could also take cues from GOG. Found at https://www.gog.com, GOG is the digital storefront owned by the same parent company (CD Projekt) as The Witcher developer CD Projekt RED. It offers lots of old and forgotten games that were released decades ago and aren’t available on any other storefront. It helps to introduce new players to old series and lets fans replay the games that they know and love.
It is also known for its lack of DRM (Digital Rights Management), which means that players can install the game however they want. The streaming tech behind Google Stadia and the platform exclusivity of Apple Arcade mean that offering DRM in the same way is unlikely. However, the companies can be more transparent and inform subscribers how these games may not be accessible in future and what the companies are doing with the data that subscribers share.
The competition of gaming platforms is growing. Expect more exclusives and more great deals as all of these platforms try to get your attention.
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